Five things for pharma marketers to know: Tuesday, November 10, 2015

1. Aggressive treatment of high blood pressure, often with four or more drugs, produced a 43% reduction in cardiovascular deaths and a 25% drop in deaths from any cause, according to findings from a study released at the American Heart Association meeting, reported Bloomberg Business. The study sought to reduce systolic blood pressure for half its participants to 120 while the other half aimed for 140.

2. AstraZeneca reported that its experimental lupus drug, anifrolumab, showed significant results in a Phase-II trial, reported Reuters. The drugmaker started a Phase-III trial for the drug as a result. Only one new drug has been introduced to treat lupus in the past 60 years.

3. Sophiris Bio reported positive study results for its experimental drug, PRX302, as a treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms of enlarged prostates. PRX302, also known as topsalysin, is a modified recombinant protein. It's been engineered to be selectively activated by an enzyme in the prostate, the drugmaker explained.

4. DepoMed increased its guidance for 2015 product sales and adjusted earnings for the second time in two quarters thanks to strong sales for its Nucynta painkiller, reported The Wall Street Journal. DepoMed bought the US rights to the drug from Johnson & Johnson in April for $1.05 billion.

5. Telling people they have a genetic risk of heart disease causes them to seek more aggressive treatment, such as taking statins, and led individuals to cut their LDL, or bad cholesterol levels, according to a new study, reported Reuters.